Re: Zoloft doesn't work any better than St. John's wort for depression


"Mark Thorson" <nospam@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:442AED1D.EC189E48@xxxxxxxxxxxx

alt.null

{but I changed that to misc.health.alternative]

<snip>

Ilena Rose wrote:

Why isn't ACSH / Barrett and the other quacks screaming about
this?????

and this one

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12053635&query_hl=11&itool=pubmed_docsum

St John's wort or sertraline? Randomized controlled trial in primary care.

van Gurp G, Meterissian GB, Haiek LN, McCusker J, Bellavance F.

Emergency Department, St Mary's Hospital Centre, 3830 Lacombe Ave, Montreal,
QC. gerald.vangurp@xxxxxxxxx

OBJECTIVE: To compare the change in severity of depressive symptoms and
occurrence of side effects in primary care patients treated with St John's
wort (SJW) and sertraline. DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized 12-week trial.
SETTING: Community-based offices of 12 family physicians practising in
greater Montreal, Que. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-seven men and women with major
depression and an initial score of > or = 16 on the Hamilton Rating Scale
for Depression (Ham-D). INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to treatment
with either sertraline (50 to 100 mg/d) or SJW (900 to 1800 mg/d) in a
double-blind fashion. Assessment of depression was done at entry and at 2,
4, 8, and 12 weeks using the Ham-D, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and
a questionnaire asking about compliance and side effects. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Changes from baseline in Ham-D and BDI scores and self-reported
side effects. RESULTS: There were no important differences in changes in
mean Ham-D and BDI scores (using intention-to-treat analysis), with and
without adjustment for baseline demographic characteristics, between the two
groups at 12 weeks. Significantly more side effects were reported in the
sertraline group than in the SJW group at 2 and 4 weeks' follow up.
CONCLUSION: The more benign side effects of SJW make it a good first choice
for this patient population.


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